Shaky Hands
by Plasma Snow
Summary: Whumptober prompt 'Shaky Hands'. October 1st, Shaky hands. Hiccup Haddock is facing a trauma after being beaten, abused, and hands scarred by the hunters Johan, Viggo, and Krogan. Now he is home on the edge and facing temporary amnesia, everything coming back to him slowly. This causes severe emotional stress. Mostly Hiccstrid and Toothcup. Can his friends help him?


**October 1rst-Shaky Hands**

Hiccup couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Why was he feeling this way? This awful nausea...this headache. It was like he was cold but also hot at the same time, though he didn't have a fever, he could tell.

Suddenly a figure entered the hut. Hiccup saw that Golden, Blond hair, the baby blue eyes that drew him in like the skies that tempted him to fly on Toothless.

Hiccup grew worried when he saw the cautiousness in Astrid's step. She had a cup of water in one hand, a plate with cut up fish in the other. Why was she babying him? Had something happened?

"Good. You're up."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at her and took the water gratefully, now aware of how thirsty he really was. Toothless suddenly raced towards him after being allowed to enter the hut. Hiccup guessed he hadn't been allowed to enter before hand. The dragon began licking his rider's cheeks who chuckled softly, before chills wracked his body and he found himself almost dropping his cup of water.

Astrid caught the cup with practiced ease as if this had been a regular thing.

"I was out?"

Really, Hiccup should've been surprised he had been asleep for a long enough time for his betrothed to become so worried. Yet, he wasn't. This had happened before. Damn him and his daredevil nature. He couldn't help it. Adrenaline and flying were like drugs for him.

Astrid nodded her head solemnly, watching Hiccup's every move as if something drastic was to happen. He found her stern gaze was making him anxious, and for some reason his hands wouldn't stop shaking. He knew he wasn't cold. He wasn't scared.

Astrid raised an eyebrow when her betrothed looked at his hands in confusion. Did he not remember what had happened?

"Hey babe…" Astrid began as she set down her own plate of food and sat on the bed next to Hiccup.

"What do you remember?"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. What did she mean?

Suddenly a flash of light took over his vision. The light was _so bright. _Then it was black, and then the darkness filled with streaks of red. He heard screaming. _His own _screaming. The yell of _Johan. _He felt hot, too hot. Something was digging painfully into his left leg and he gasped in surprise. He needed it to _stop. _

"Stop…" Hiccup wanted to yell, but the word came out as a soft gasp when the pain became unbearable. His hands were shaking even harder and he felt the urgent need to hide them. It felt like something leather was striking his wrists over and over again.

He needed to move so he could stop them. Out of pure instinct, he crossed his wrists and hid his arms with his chest armor.

Two thin, warm arms suddenly threw themselves around Hiccup. The feeling of Toothless' muzzle in his side calmed him and Hiccup opened his eyes to look over Astrid's shoulder into those deep acid green ones of his Night Fury friend's for comfort.

"I-I know something bad happened. I know there are scars on my hands. I-I remember yelling."

Hiccup cursed himself for sounded so small in front of Astrid, but he remembered she was his betrothed and he was safe talking to her about his inner feelings, just like with Toothless.

Astrid nodded her head and kissed Hiccup's cheek before holding him tighter against her.

"Fishlegs said this might happen…So did Gothi."

"They said what might happen?" Hiccup didn't even bother asking why Gothi had to come check on him. He was too tired all of a sudden.

Astrid sighed deeply, her eyes sad. Toothless crooned sadly as well, nudging HIccup's hand that wasn't wrapped securely around Astrid's waist.

"You woke up a few times but you couldn't understand what we were saying. Gothi called them Night Terrors. You were talking to people who weren't there. The people who hurt you."

Astrid held tighter to Hiccup as if claiming him as hers in order to tell anyone else who tried to hurt him again that they would regret hurting _her _boyfriend. She kissed his shoulder comfortingly when she saw his hand that was touching Toothless' snout start shaking again. She could see the scars too. The dark red, angry scars that stood against pale skin.

"You had deep marks from a whip on your back, but there weren't many. You left leg was also cut open…" Astrid inwardly cringed at the memory at the same time Hiccup did. She was scared she was going to lose him to the Night Terrors again if he got too tired in her arms.

"Most of the marks though...they were on your wrists and hands. It was like someone had forced them into boiling water...all burned and blistered. Gothi said they weren't caused by fire. She assumed they'd either tortured you, or you were shot by a Scauldron."

Hiccup shook his head slowly and flinched back when red flashed through his vision again occupied by the memory of a metal bucket filled with said hot water. When he spoke his voice was weak as if he'd been screaming.

"Definitely not a Scauldron." Astrid nodded her head and smiled sympathetically. At least he wasn't set off by her talking about it. Maybe he _would _be okay. Be the Hiccup she and Toothless knew and loved. Everyone else would still have to be careful though in the beginning. When he'd woken up those few times he was _terrified. _

Anyways, while bandaging your hands she said that there were also precise cuts, but not caused by a knife.

Another few memories flooded Hiccup's mind for only a few seconds, but it felt like days. Water, fire, whips, leather, sharp leather that cut into his skin. Johan and Krogan laughing at him. Taunting him. Telling him that they were targetting his hands so he couldn't pick the locks anymore. He must've done that a lot when he was missing.

"Leather." Hiccup said simply. Astrid raised an eyebrow and moved back a little to gaze into his tired forest greens.

"What was that?"

Hiccup cringed a little at the sternness in her voice, though he knew her anger was at the hunters, not him.

"It was leather. Leather with sharp sides and ends. Numerous pieces welded together. I don't remember...but I know they were targeting my hands because I'd apparently picked a few locks in an attempt to escape. How long was I there anyways?"

Astrid sighed and shook her head sadly.

"Three weeks."

Hiccup's eyes widened greatly at that.

"And how long was I out after you guys saved me?"

"Another week. That's why your leg is still bandaged. The burns on your hand actually closed the cuts on your hands so you didn't bleed out."

Hiccup nodded his head, then gazed at Astrid with that hidden question in his mind.

Why couldn't he remember?

She read his thoughts it would seem.

"Right. Fishlegs talked to Gothi in private and she said do to the trauma you faced, along with a minor head injury that was only bruised, there was a chance that your brain would take the chance immediately and you'd have amnesia in order to block out everything that happened. She also said your memories might start coming back slowly, like it seems to be already."

Astrid smiled warmly at Hiccup and kissed his forehead. He closed his eyes peacefully and tenderly brushed his shaky hands over her hips.

Trauma. He supposed that made sense. He could stop his hands from shaking because his brain so desperately wanted him to hide them so he didn't get hurt again. If his hands had really been dumped in boiling water while he still had open wounds, he couldn't blame his subconscious for wanting to avoid the same incident happening again at any cost.

Astrid smiled as she felt shaky hands on her hips and wrapped her arms around Hiccup's neck again, this time pressing her forehead to his rather than kissing him.

"You need to know Hiccup...while your memories _are _coming back, it's going to be scary. Gothi and Fishlegs both said this."

Hiccup tensed at her words. Mostly because he knew they were true. He focused on her warm head against his and relaxed again.

"I have your back though. Toothless and I both. If you want to stay in your hut for a few days to let everything process, Stormfly and I will bring you food and keep the others out. I'll be here to talk to you, and I'll lay by your side at night just in case you have another night terror and need help getting out of it."

Hiccup smiled warmly and nodded against her without ever opening his eyes. He yawned tiredly and felt ready to lay back down without ever touching his food. When he tried to move though he froze as the sound of a whip cracking in the air and evil laugh filled his ears. He really did _need _her now. Now more than ever.

"That...would be nice."

Astrid smiled and lay them both down. The sun was already setting and she figured they both needed the rest because she'd been up with him the night before while he was shaking and having nightmares. Toothless wrapped himself around the bed protectively and Stormfly moved to lock the door and windows so everyone would have their privacy.

Astrid was there when he woke up in the middle of the night shouting.


End file.
